The Giza Key
by Ammundaea
Summary: A boy and his mother uncover an ancient Egyptian artifact said to unlock a powerful ancient weapon. They are joined by the Carter family, descendants of Howard Carter, and begin a fascinating adventure to unlock it's mysteries.


The Order of the Giza Key 

Chapter 1: Laraya

Cole Marshall sighed as he shifted ruble out of his path. He'd been down in the temple for an hour and hadn't found anything of consequence, unless the Cairo Museum was collecting rocks shaped like elephants. He'd found plenty of those. But other than that it was monotonous. Long stretches of dank, grey stone were occasionally punctuated by faded hieroglyphs, but they had long since been discovered and were now just gathering dust.

Cole stopped and wiped beads of sweat off his sun burnt forehead. A teenager of fifteen, he had curly blond hair and blue eyes that gave him that irresistible boy-next-door look. His mother, Kalira, was an Egyptologist, and he was often dragged along on her many, fruitless digs. This time, they had traveled to Abu Simbel, near Aswan - a supposedly fascinating dig site. Cole never found it interesting, though. Each time, his mother would tell him "this time we'll find it" or "I've got a good feeling about this place", but each time they were unsuccessful. What it was they were looking for, his mother never said. All she knew herself was that it unlocked a mystery. "Just keep your eyes out for anything unusual, anything that could be a key." And so they looked. Time after time they searched for something they didn't even know existed.

"If I only knew what to look for," muttered Cole, his blue eyes sweeping the cavern in which he was now standing. "Maybe then I could find it...whatever it is. Maybe then we could go home."

He didn't enjoy this; this was his mother's dream, not his. He found it completely boring to spend hours examining ancient scribbles and trying to figure out if prehistoric people used toilet paper.

Cole was interrupted from his musings by the chinking sound of metal on stone. This struck him as odd; his mother had said she was working several levels above him. He stepped in to the next enclosure to greet her and received a shock.

Kneeling at a cartouche on the opposite wall, with her back to him, was not his mother, but another girl. She had dark, waist-length hair that had been pulled into a loose ponytail. She continued to work, apparently unaware of Cole's arrival. He stepped forward to greet her, but she interrupted him almost immediately.

"Hi, I -"

"You'll have to move along, this spot is taken." She kept her back to him, and Cole felt a flicker of annoyance. Who did she think she was?

"Sorry," Cole responded serenely, "Just saying hi."

The girl turned, her hair whipping around. She stood up quickly, wiping dust from her hands as she did. She was very pretty; with vibrant green eyes that seemed to sparkle. She couldn't have been much older than Cole himself.

"Sorry," said the girl. "I thought you were someone else. There's been a bunch of guys down here who keep telling me to shove off." She stopped talking and looked him up and down appraisingly. "Aren't you a little young to be wandering around a temple alone?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Cole, now with a definite edge to his voice. This girl sure could patronize.

"Well, not that it's any of _your_ business, but I'm here with my grandfather." She looked him up and down again with a frown. "So, why are _you _here?" she added with a snicker. "School field trip?"

"Well, not that it's any of _your_ business, but I'm here with my mother. She's an Egyptologist," he added with a trace of pride, but he deflated almost at once. "It's boring as hell though. Did you get dragged along, too?"

"No", she replied coolly. "I love Egypt. I find it so fascinating." She turned away from him and Cole noticed the light in her eyes igniting as she spoke. She definitely seemed to be on another planet. "The people, the mythology, all of it. I just love it," she repeated.

"Oh yeah, me too," replied Cole. The girl turned back to him, her eyebrows raised.

He blushed and hurried on. "Er...I'm Cole, by the way. Cole Marshall."

"Laraya," she said shortly, and turned back to her work.

Just then, the voice of Kalira Marshall came over Cole's walkie-talkie: "Cole? Get up here quick, please, I think I found something!"

"That's my mother, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Laraya." said Cole.

"Uh huh," said Laraya. She was already absorbed in her work.

Cole shook his head and ran back up the sloping path to where his mother was working, and felt hope flare up inside him. Maybe she really had found something, and they could go home.

As soon as Cole left, the girl named Laraya, looking carefully over her shoulder, grabbed her bag and moved to the other side of the chamber and resumed her work on the other wall. 'There must be something there,' she mused. 'But I'm getting tired of hiding what I'm doing.'

Because she was looking for something too. She and her grandfather were searching for the fabled Giza Key, an artifact said to unlock a powerful, ancient weapon. If the Children of Anubis got a hold of it, there would be disastrous consequences.

"See the engravings on the case? And look at how the jewels are set into the ridges here! Oh, Cole, I think this is it!" Kalira Marshall proclaimed excitedly. Her vivid red hair bobbed on her shoulders as she spoke. She was beside herself with delight as she explained her findings to her only son.

"Great, great. Does this mean we can go home now?" said Cole. He was excited, but at the prospect of going home, not at this curious relic. His mother's face fell, and instantly Cole felt guilty. His mother had been searching for this for over a year and he was wrecking this moment for her. "I'm sorry, mom. I'm just homesick."

Kalira gave him a small, understanding smile. "I know sweetie. But this could be very important. We'll take this back home with us and I can work on opening it in the lab. I'll tell you all about it on the plane ride home. Now go pack up your tools, let's get back to Aswan."

Cole almost bounced the two floors down to his backpack. They were going home! Finally, after over 4 months. No more sleeping on dirt or in creepy hotels in Cairo. He bent over his backpack, packing his crossword puzzles and half-eaten lunch. No more having to empty his shoes of bugs before putting them on in the morning. Back to civilization, to television, to his friends...

Cole's happy thoughts were broken by the sound of gunshots above him. He straightened up sharply and spun his head around, cricking his neck. He grabbed his backpack and set off at a run toward his mother. What was going on? Was it just a cave in? Or could someone be firing at his mother? Frantic thoughts swirled in his head as he sped up the passageway. He was so gripped by these thoughts that he didn't see an arm reach out from a crevice in the wall and grab his shirt, jerking him off the stone path. He tried to yell, but felt a hand clap to his face, covering his mouth. His attacker grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He was trapped!

Chapter 2: Escape

"Be quiet and don't move," hissed a voice in Cole's ear. He knew that voice. It was the voice of the girl he had talked to earlier, Laraya. What was going on? Did she have something to do with the gunshots he had heard? She had seemed so...well, not exactly nice, but not likely to shoot his mother. As he wondered this, he heard the voices of two men coming down the path. Laraya pulled Cole deeper into the fissure.

"Damn girl got away, and took the casket with her," said one of the men in a raspy voice. Cole felt Laraya stiffen behind him. She was gripping his arm so tightly he was loosing blood. She seemed to sense his discomfort, for she loosened her grasp, but did not relinquish it. He tried to forget the shooting pain in his arm and strained to hear what the men were saying.

"...shot her when you had the chance, Mort." the second man was saying. His voice had a sly quality, he would not have been out of place at a stockholders meeting.

"And if I'd hit the chest? The boss would kill me!" said the man called Mort. They were now standing directly in front of the crack where Cole and Laraya were hiding. Cole could only see the back of one of them. He was tall and skinny with greasy hair that matched his voice.

"What about the boy?" said the second man in his oily tone.

"Must've slipped out ahead of us, let's go out and look by the dune buggy." said Mort.

"Right," agreed the second man, and they set off down the passageway. Their voices drifted back up to the concealed teenagers as they walked further away.

"What about the girl and her dear old grandfather?"

"We'll find them eventually, but they're not as important as the Key."

The two teenagers remained frozen for a full minute before Laraya released him and he fell out onto the trail, panting. He stood up just as she squeezed out and looked anxiously up and down the path.

"We don't have long, they'll be back. We have to find you're mother. Come on" she said.

She set off at a brisk walk up the narrow walkway, with Cole trailing behind her, gaping as he jogged.

"Do you think you could tell me what the hell is going on? Do you know them? And what do they want with my mother and I?"

"This is not the right place to discuss it. We'll find you're mother and my grandpa and get back to Cairo." she panted, not meeting his eyes. "I take it your mother found the Giza Key." she added with a sigh.

"Er, the what?" said Cole, gasping for breath as they climbed a set of steep stairs.

"It's okay, you can tell me, my whole family's looking for it too." she said, looking around the room they had just reached. "Well, almost my whole family," she added sadly.

"No, I'm serious; I have no idea what you're talking about. I mean, my mom just found something, but I have no idea what it was." said Cole.

Laraya turned to him, looking surprised. "You mean you don't know anything about it? Oh great, this is going to be fun," she said sarcastically. "Just wait till I - Grandpa!"

A distinguished looking man of about seventy-five had just emerged from behind a column. He sighed with relief and embraced his granddaughter.

"Oh, thank God, I was worried they'd got you. Ah, and this must be young Cole," he said, holding out his hand for Cole, you shook it uncertainly. "Mathias Carter. Pleased to meet you," continued the man. "Your mother and I have been searching for you two. Miss Marshall!" he called over his shoulder. "They're here!" Cole's red haired mother appeared around a corner and ran forward to give her son a bone-cracking hug. She seemed very shaken.

"Oh, Cole, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did they see you? Oh Cole!"

Cole gently removed himself from his mother's arms. "I'm fine mom. But what about you? We heard gunshots, and those men mentioned the case you found."

His mother gave him a small, reassuring, smile. "I had just finished packing when I heard them come up the passage behind me. I grabbed all my stuff and ran around the corner just as one of them took a shot at me. I turned another corner and ran straight into Mathias, here."

Cole grinned. "The same thing happened to me. Laraya grabbed me and got me out of the way just in time." He turned to her. "Thank you."

"No big," she said with a wave of her hand. "But I suggest we get out of here and find a safe place to discuss all this." She turned to her Grandfather. "Dad and Uncle Jack will want to know the Key's been found."

"Right," said Mathias. "Let's get a move on."

"Alright, they're coming back up through the temple." Mathias motioned for Kalira, Cole and Laraya to join him. They were standing at the top of yet another set of stairs and looking out onto the desert below. Cole could just see the top of each man's head as they made their way up the stone steps.

"Alright, we have to get down to the car while they're in here looking. That means we have to get past them and out into the desert without them seeing us. Hmm..." He looked around at them all with a hopeful expression. "Any ideas?"

"There's a crack in the wall that Cole and I hid in while they came down the path," said Laraya. "But I don't think it'll fit all of us. We were pretty squished, and there was just the two of us."

Kalira spoke up. "Cole, why don't you and Laraya go down into that crack and Mathias and I will stay around the corner here. When they walk past you, go straight down to the car."

"What about you?" argued Cole. "How will you get out if they walk right up here?"

"We'll just have to hope they don't look behind every door." said Mathias with a frown. "They didn't look that bright, to be honest."

"Alright, let's do it. Cole, we better get going," said Laraya, dragging him by his sleeve. Cole broke free of her grasp and ran to embrace his mother.

"It's alright, Cole. I'll be fine with Mathias. Now get going. Quickly!" said his mother.  
Cole gave her a look, then turned and followed Laraya, who was already racing down the steps. They went swiftly down to the crack in which they had hid and squeezed in just as the two goons turned the corner. The teenagers crouched down in the gap and looked out into the aisle with bated breath. To their delight, they walked straight past Cole and Laraya without looking twice. Cole caught snatches of their conversation as they marched past.  
"Damn it, we're done for now. The boss will kill us!" said Mort. He sounded extremely anxious.  
"We're not done looking yet," snarled the greasy haired man. "They're probably still in the temple. We'll keep looking."  
Cole and Laraya stepped out as soon as Mort and his slippery comrade had turned the corner. Both looked anxiously up the stairs.  
"C'mon, you heard your mom. We've got to get down to the car." said Laraya, nervously fingering a gold locket that hung around her neck.

"We can't just leave them there!" said Cole incredulously. "That's my mother up there!"

"And my grandfather!" hissed Laraya, her eyes flashing. "Look, I don't like this plan any more than you do, but we've got to stick to it."

Cole looked at her imploringly for a moment, but then, seeing that she wouldn't budge, sank into a grudging agreement. "Alright. Let's go."

Laraya looked relieved, as though she had been suspecting more hostility than this. She quickly turned and raced down the path, Cole trailing along in her wake.

They arrived at the desert floor in a matter of minutes. Both teens squatted down behind the vehicle and peeked over the top of it.

"As soon as you see them coming out, tell me and I'll start this thing up," said Laraya, gesturing to the car.

"Okay," said Cole. They waited several minutes in silence before he spoke again. "Where are they? Why haven't they come out yet?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure they're fine," responded Laraya, with an attempt at her usual maddeningly superior tone. But she too looked worried.

Just then, two figures were seen coming out of the pyramid. Cole squinted into the bright sunlight to see who they were. He caught a glimpse of flamboyant red hair and felt relief rush over him like a flood. "It's them! Start the car!"

But something was wrong. They were running quickly, Kalira's duffel bag banging against her leg. Both were looking wildly over their shoulders. Cole looked harder and saw the two gangsters running after them. Mort was waving the gun violently.

"Hurry, Laraya, Mort and the other one are right behind them!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" said Laraya through gritted teeth. "I can't find the key! Oh here it is. Alright, come on. Get in."

Cole jumped in the back of the car just as Mort fired the gun. Kalira grabbed the wheel and Mathias jumped in as a second shot rang out. As Mort and his associate let out howls of rage, the red haired Egyptologist floored the gas pedal and they sped off into the gathering dusk toward Aswan.

Chapter 3: The Library

"Is everyone alright?" Came the anxious voice of Cole's mother. Laraya scowled at Cole, who had toppled on top of her in the rush.

"I'd be better if this great oaf got off of me!" she growled.

"Oh come on, it's not like I meant to." Cole glared at her as he struggled into the seat. "I don't normally encounter big, gun toting men who try to do me in! I was a tad panicked, can you blame me?"

"If it involves _my _stomach being crushed, then yeah, I think I can!"

"Okay, I think you're both fine." Said Kalira, rolling her eyes. "Mathias?

"I'm jim-dandy," said Mathias grimly. "But those buffoons will be quick on our tail. We'd better get a move on. If you give me the wheel, I can take us to a secure location." They stopped and quickly changed places. As soon as they got back in, Mathias pulled out a beeper and gave it to Laraya. "You know what to do," he said.

"What are you doing?" asked Kalira.

"I'm sending a message to my sons to let them know we're coming. Do you still have the casket?" continued Mathias.

Kalira patted the duffle bag on her lap. "It's right here."

"Good. I don't think I need to tell you how important the contents of that case are." He exchanged a significant glance with his granddaughter.

"Uh, actually, you need to tell me," said Cole. "I haven't the faintest idea what's going on."

Mathias looked surprised. "You mean you don't know anything?" He turned to Kalira. "You haven't told him about the Key, or the Children of Anubis or anything?"

Kalira shook her head. "I didn't think it was necessary."

"Oh boy," sighed Mathias.

"What? What's he talking about? What aren't you telling me? What's the Children of Anubis? What -"

"This is not the appropriate place to discuss it. We have to wait. Please be patient," said his mother imploringly. "Trust me, sometimes I'd rather _not_ know."

"Well way to peak my curiosity, Mom," Cole glowered at the back of his mother's head. He crossed his arms and looked across the seat at Laraya, who was staring at him haughtily. "Oh you love this, don't you: knowing something I don't?"

"Oh come now, Cole. I know plenty of things you don't," she smirked. "But I must admit, this is fun."

"Why you little -"

"Cole, that's enough. Your questions will be answered. Just be patient. We'll get there soon…I think. Mathias?" Kalira looked enquiringly at their driver.

"Not long now. I just hope Jack and Daniel got the message. They won't be able to let us in otherwise."

They rode along in silence for almost ten minutes before Cole spoke again.

"Where is this 'secure location' anyway? And just how 'secure' is it?" said Cole nervously.

"It's in the basement of the Aswan library. We know the curator, he let's us use it," said Laraya.

"Don't worry, Cole. We'll be safe there. It should only take us a couple hours, then you will have your queries answered," said Mathias.

After what seemed like a lifetime, they turned onto a small side street in downtown Aswan. They stopped in front of a small building and stared at what was before them. The door was hanging lopsidedly off its hinges and several of the windows had been broken. They stepped inside, trying to absorb the chaos around them. Broken glass and overturned tables littered the floor.

"Uh, is it supposed to be like this?" asked Cole. "I mean, I know it's not exactly a nice part of town, but this is a little much."

"Oh course it isn't supposed to look like this, idiot!" snapped Laraya. "Someone's been here. They knew where to look, how could they know!" she was becoming hysterical. She stopped to take a breath, and then cried out. "Oh, no! Oded!" She ran around a corner and almost tripped over a figure on the floor.

A man no older than thirty was lying on his side, his eyes wide open. There was blood seeping from a deep gash in his head. Laraya let out a sob.

"He's dead," said Kalira softly, crouching down beside the body. "Did you know him?"

"He was the curator," groaned Mathias. "And a good friend of mine, too."

"I'm sorry," said Cole. Laraya gave him a waterlogged nod and he turned away, embarrassed. "We'd better get out of here, whoever did this could be back soon," he continued quickly.

"Well, it doesn't look like they got to the basement; something must have scared them off," said Mathias, examining a trap door that he had just uncovered.

"Yeah, us," said a voice. The four comrades turned quickly to see a tall man striding toward them, thrusting fallen desks from his path. He had a strong build, with a slightly hardened look to his face. His features appeared to be chiselled in stone.

"Uncle Jack! Are you alright? Where's Dad?" said Laraya, rushing to her uncle.

"Your dad and I are both fine, but we didn't recognize the car you came in. We thought it was the Children of Anubis back for another raid, so he went around back to sneak in."

"It was them, then?" said Mathias. "I had hoped not."

Jack nodded. "We couldn't stop them killing Oded, though. We weren't fast enough," he said sadly. He stopped suddenly and seemed to notice Cole and his mother for the first time. "Oh, hello there," he said, looking very puzzled. "Sorry, the library is closed today for..." he paused, looking around the destroyed library, "…refurbishment."

"Actually, we're here with them," said Cole, jerking his thumb at Laraya and her grandfather, who were staring transfixed at their fallen friend. "We're not patrons."

"Oh, really," said Jack. "And just who are you?"

"I'm Kalira Marshall, and this is my son Cole. We were in Abu Simbel with your father and niece when the Children of Anubis came."

"They found the Key, Jack," said Mathias, looking up from the curator's limp body.

"You found it!" said Jack, warming up at once. "Incredible! Did they take it? Where did they go?" He grew louder and louder as he drilled questions at her. "What did it look like? How long ago was it taken?"

"Umm, I've still got it," said Kalira, looking confused. "They didn't manage to take it from us."

"Oh," said Jack. He looked shocked for a moment, then brightened instantly. "That's excellent. Really, really…excellent." He paused, then carried on. "C'mon, let's go. You can meet Daniel."

"But what about Oded? We can't just leave him here!" said Laraya, tears welling in her eyes.

"Your father has already called the Aswan ambulance. It's on its way. They can pick him up and take him to the…hospital." said Jack.

While the other's made their way to the back exit, Cole paused to think. There was something peculiar about this man. He didn't look criminal, but there was something in his eyes when they mentioned the key. Like a red glow that had flared, but was instantly extinguished. 'I'll have to keep my eye on him,' thought Cole, as he hurried after the others.

Chapter 4: The Children of Anubis

The group made they're way across the wreckage, shifting books and fragments of parchment that still littered the floor. They finally found the back door and stepped out onto a veranda. A white jeep was parked in a small, dingy lot. There was no sign of Laraya's father.

"He should be here!" said Jack, gazing around the lot with his cold eyes. "I told him to wait back here! Daniel! It's only us, come out!"

"I'll go back inside and look for him," said Kalira.

As she disappeared, a head poked out from around the corner of the building. "Laraya? Jack? Are you all right?" The man emerged and ran to his daughter, who

hugged him briefly. He stepped back and sighed in relief.

Besides a few subtle differences, Jack and Daniel could have been twins. Daniel Carter was a tall man, with a more mature look than his brother. His eyes were soft and somewhat sadder than Jack's, as though he carried a haunting shadow of his past.

After he had finished greeting his father, Daniel turned to Cole. "You look familiar, son. Have I seen you before? And how did you get caught up in all of this?"

Cole was quick to respond. "My name's Cole Marshall. My mother found the key…thingy in Abu Simbel. Apparently this is a humungous deal to all of you, but I still haven't the faintest clue about any of this."

"You found the key! That's amazing! We've been looking for it for years! Who's your mother? I have to meet her!"

"Her name's Kalira. She just went back inside looking for you," said Mathias.

Daniel's face paled. "Did you say your last name was Marshall? Your mother is Kalira Marshall?"

"Uh, yes," said Cole, giving Daniel a puzzled look. "Do you know her or something?"

"Me? Uh, no. No. Never met her. I've just, uh, admired her work. Um, yeah," he sputtered. Laraya raised her eyebrows at Cole.

"Uh, right. She should be back any second now," said Cole. "MOM! WE FOUND HIM!" hollered Cole.

Kalira appeared through the door, her duffel bag at her side and a stack of parchment in her hands. "Look at all these writings! I've got to compare this to -" She stopped short at the sight of Daniel. Her eyes widened in shock and she dropped the scrolls she was carrying. Daniel remained immobile, staring at her with nothing short of wonder. The rest of the group looked back and forth between Daniel and Kalira, who were staring at each other like statues, unflinching. It was not until Cole broke the silence that they were brought out of their trance.

"Am I missing something?"

"Uh, no, Cole," Kalira snapped out of her reverie and bent to pick up the fallen scrolls. "I'm just…honoured to meet Dr. Carter. I've…read…about you." She paused and cleared her throat, unsure of what to say next.

"Well, um, we should probably get going and uh, find a safe place to figure all of this out," said Mathias, casting Kalira and Daniel a perplexed look.

"Right, yes," said Daniel, drawing his gaze from Kalira at last. "Does anyone know where we should go? This _was_ our safe house."

"My mom and I are at a hotel here in Aswan. We could go there," suggested Cole.

"Don't be stupid, Cole. The Children of Anubis knew you were looking for the key, they knew you were in Abu Simbel. They'll know what hotel you're in and when you go back to it."

"Okay, I get it! It was just an idea. I don't see _you _coming up with any."

"Guys! Cool your jets! Sheesh!" said Mathias. He turned to his sons. "They were like that in the car too. On and on and on! They never quit!"

"I know where we can go," said Kalira. "There's a place in Cairo that should be ready for us by now."

"What place? Why didn't you tell me about this place? Boy, you sure are one for secrets, mom," said Cole.

"Let's just get in the jeep and we'll talk while we drive," said Jack. "Cole needs his questions answered."

"Finally!" said Cole as he climbed into the jeep. "Wait, what about our car?"

"Uh, about that," said Daniel. "Your car doesn't happen to be silver SUV, does it?"

"Yeah, it is. Why?" said Cole curiously.

"See, I kinda thought it was the Children of Anubis' car, so I, um, popped your tires," he said sheepishly.

"You never really were a thinker, Daniel," smiled Kalira.

"I thought you two had never met," said Jack suspiciously.

Daniel and Kalira both sped into hasty explanations.

"You're right, it's just what I've read -"

"Never met her in my life -"

"Okay, let's just get going, please," said Laraya, climbing into the jeep after Cole. "I'm sure Cole's dying to finally be let into the loop," she smirked.

"Oh ha ha, very funny," snapped Cole. "Can we just go now?"

"Right," said Mathias. "Everybody in? Alright, let's get a move on."

They all piled in and Cole, squished between Laraya and his mother, wasted no time in getting to the point. "Okay, first question: What is 'the key' that you all keep obsessing about?"

"The Giza Key is an Egyptian artefact said to release a powerful, ancient weapon," said Mathias from the front seat. "Until now, it's only been a legend, an old story. Many people believed that the Pharaoh Khufu had been given a weapon by Anubis. This weapon was to be used by Khufu to destroy his enemies. When he died, the weapon was supposed to be hidden in The Great Pyramid for his use in the afterlife."

"A thousand years later, Nefertari, the favourite wife of Ramses the second, heard this legend and took it seriously," continued Daniel. "She ordered her servants to raid the tomb of Khufu to find it, hoping to present it to her husband as a gift. When they got there, however, all they found was a casket, containing a large, blue diamond. Nefertari believed this was the key to the real weapon, so she hid it away until she could figure out where the actual weapon was."

"Where did she put it?" asked Cole.

"In Abu Simbel, where you found it four hours ago," said Laraya. "Duh!"

"Right, right. I knew that," said Cole. "Continue, Daniel."

"More specifically, in her temple dedicated to Hathor," Daniel carried on. "But unfortunately, she died before she discovered where the weapon was."

"Do _we _know where it is?" ask Cole.

"Unfortunately, no," said Jack. "But we were hoping the Key was some kind of clue or map."

"What is the weapon itself?" Cole asked.

Mathias shrugged. "We don't know, exactly. Some stories say it's a great plague, other's say it's an explosive with the force of an atomic bomb."

"Cool!" exclaimed Cole. "That Khufu guy had it made!"

"Look, the point isn't _what _the weapon is. It's how to stop The Children of Anubis from taking it," said Daniel impatiently.

"Which brings us to my next question," said Cole. "Who are The Children of Anubis?"

"They're a group of criminals who heard the story of the Giza Key. They want to find the weapon and use it for god knows what. They'll either keep the weapon for themselves, or they'll sell it to the highest bidder," said Jack.

"And you guys fit into this how?" asked Cole.

"Well, now that the key's been found, we'll concentrate our efforts on stopping The Children of Anubis and finding the weapon and destroying it."

"And now, unfortunately, you and mother are caught right in the middle of it," said Daniel. "The Children of Anubis will know you two are involved in this mess and it isn't safe for you to walk away from it all. If you stay with us and help us find the weapon, you'll be much safer."

Cole and his mother met each other's eyes for a moment, having a completely nonverbal conversation.

"So, let me get this straight," said Cole. "We can leave, turn our backs and try to forget all this, but still have a bunch of deranged lunatics on our tails. Or, we can stay; help save the world from total annihilation and still have deranged lunatics on our tails. Is that about right?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," said Laraya.

Cole and his mother looked at each other. "We're in."

The Order if the Giza Key

Chapter 5: Headquarters

Far away from the car now traveling toward Cairo, a figure sat alone in a darkened room. The room was empty, except for a chair and a small desk, behind which she was sitting. She was gazing at blueprints for what looked like a library, illuminated by a dim lamp. Just as she heaved a frustrated sigh and began to roll up the papers, the door of the room burst open and a heavyset man came in, holding two other men by the scruffs of their necks. One was thin and greasy looking; the other was stocky and looked very anxious. The man holding them tossed them roughly into the room, gave a small bow to the woman behind the desk and left, closing the door with a snap. The woman gave them an icy sneer.

"Why have you come back empty handed? Where is it? Didn't you find it? Speak!"

The stocky man opened and closed his mouth several times, looking terrified. The second man cleared his throat and began to speak, looking angry.

"You can't blame us, we didn't know the Carters were going to be there! They had other help, too. The informant told us that it would just be the girl and her stupid old grandfather!"

The woman paled, but when she spoke, her voice was calm. "Are you saying that _they _have it? After months of planning, you let a little girl and a feeble old relic take it?" As she spoke, her voice was becoming steadily louder. "That Key is the single most important thing in order to keep this operation running and YOU LET IT SLIP THROUGH YOUR SLIMY LITTLE FINGERS!" The two men looked at each other hopelessly as the woman raged on. Then, the stocky man timidly put up his hand, and the woman abruptly stopped her pacing and ranting to stare at him. "What, Mort?"

"_They_ didn't actually find it," he began, "It was these other people, but I didn't recognize them. They left with the Carter girl and her grandfather, though. We tried to stop them, boss, we really did!"

The woman glared at them both then began to speak, her voice determinedly calm. "I will give you one more chance. As soon as I have word from my informant, I'm sending you two after it. I had two of my best men search their little hideout, but they found nothing. I want you to find them! And I want you to figure out who those people were! If you fail me again, make sure you come back. It would just be so much trouble to hunt you down and _then _kill you. If you come back it'll save us all a lot of running around." She sneered at the terrified faces of her cronies and then bellowed, "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Laraya was dozing fitfully and awoke to find herself in the back of her father's car. It took her a moment to remember all of the day's events, but then they flooded back into her mind, each thought cascading over the other. She sighed inwardly and looked around. Cole's head was drooped onto her shoulder. The rest of the car was silent; they were all either asleep or lost in thought. Laraya gazed down at Cole, and smiled. She could not help noticing how much she liked him. Sure, he could be completely annoying, but there was something about him... She found herself in a daydream, going over their meeting in her head. She suddenly shook herself out of her reverie and realized what she was feeling. She tried to stop her thoughts and moved Cole's head from her shoulder roughly. He woke up and shook his head, murmuring. "Are we there yet?"

"No," said Laraya gruffly. "Go back to sleep."

There came a mumble of consent and he fell asleep immediately, his head dropping back onto her shoulder. Laraya looked annoyed for a moment, then softened. She slowly and tentatively lowered her head onto Cole's, smiled to herself, and finally fell asleep.

Cole awoke several hours later as the car went over a bump in the road. He shook himself awake, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked blearily.

"It's a little after three a.m.," said Jack from the front seat. "We're almost in Cairo. Can you give us directions, Kalira?"

Cole turned and saw that his mother was fully awake. "Go straight through the city down the main road. Then turn down the last street before you reach the turnoff for Giza," she said.

It took them twenty minutes to get all the way through Cairo. When they turned down the road that Kalira had indicated, they saw it went on for several miles. When they were almost at the end, Kalira told Jack to stop, her eyes scanning the derelict houses. "That one," she said, pointing at a miniscule shack on the left side of the street. "That's our new headquarters."

The others stared at it in disbelief. It couldn't have been more than twenty square feet. "Uh, mom?" said Cole. "Are you sure you've got the right place? I mean, how are we supposed to fit in there, let alone work!"

Kalira smiled mischievously, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, I think we can all fit. Everyone out!"

The group climbed out of the car, wondering if Kalira had lost her mind. She walked over to the hut and swung open a rickety door. It was completely bare, but a door at the other end indicated a second room. Cole walked over and tried to open it. "It's locked," he said, rattling the handle.

"It's a combination lock," said Kalira, squeezing past her son. They watched, amazed, as she felt along the wall to the right of the door and finally found a small switch. She flicked it and instantly a minute keypad popped out of the wall to the left of the door. She typed for a few seconds, then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the keypad zoomed back into the wall and the door gave a click. Kalira rotated the knob once more and this time, it opened. What they saw gave them a shock. It was an elevator.

"No way," said Laraya in a hushed voice. "It's underground?"

Kalira smiled widely. "That's right! This little hovel is just to throw everyone off the trail."

Cole was almost hopping with excitement. "Well, come on! Let's get down there!"

The rest of their group clamored in, casting each other amazed looks. Once they had all piled in, Mathias, who was nearest to the panel on the wall, pressed the down button. They started moving; each of them imagining what awaited them. Finally, they stopped moving and the doors opened. They all stepped out and looked around in wonder. It was everything you could ask for. They were in a large, square room with a very high ceiling. In the centre of the room was a set of squashy furniture, and past it they could see a spotless kitchen and dinning room. There were doors leading off the left side of the room, possible bedrooms. On the right side was a wide doorway, and through it they could see a laboratory, equipped with a wide array of instruments and computers. The walls were littered with a vast quantity of drawers and cupboards.

At the far end of the room was a small doorway, and Cole noticed that it had no door handle. Before he could think of what could be behind it, his mother's voice drowned out his thoughts.

"Now, I originally thought that it would only be Cole and I in here, so there are only two bedrooms. But there should be a spare room. But that still means we'll have to double up. Cole can stay with me. Mathias, why don't you and Jack share a room. That leaves Laraya and…Daniel." She cleared her throat uncomfortably and then said quickly, "Alright! Let's get moving."

Cole followed his mother into the room closest to the kitchen and stared around in astonishment. There were two beds, two dressers and a large closet. There was also a large television with a DVD player lying beneath it. A door led off into a large bathroom.

Kalira smiled at the stunned look on her son's face. "Do you like it?"

Cole opened and closed his mouth, at a complete loss for words. "How did you arrange all of this?" he finally croaked out.

His mother smiled. "I have some important contacts that helped us out. We're all free to stay here for as long as we need. It's one of the most secure places I could find."

Cole finally stopped gawking at his bedroom and unpacked quickly. He wanted a chance to explore the rest of the house before everyone else. He left and went across the room to the laboratory, finding Laraya already there.

"This place is amazing," exclaimed Laraya. "Look at this lab! We have everything we need here! This is perfect, absolutely perfect."

"Yeah…perfect," said Cole. But he wasn't looking at the lab.


End file.
